Know Your Diamonds: Erin Bell

Ashleigh Austen

August 25, 2016

Share

The goal circle is like a boxing ring – fast and furious – but also fun. And that’s where Diamonds player Erin Bell feels most at home.

Kicking off her career at the NSW Swifts before moving to the Adelaide Thunderbirds in 2010, she made a dazzling rise to success claiming her 100th national league appearance during the 2015 ANZ Championship season.

The long game

Recognised as one of the best long-range shooters in the game, Bell’s ability to play in the circle and on the wing saw her earn a place in Australia’s team for the 2011 Netball World Cup. Here is where she made her international debut during the tournament against Samoa.

“For me, it’s been a matter of maturing as a person and as an athlete. Learning from my experiences, and not putting as much emphasis and pressure on myself. I’ve learnt in the past that that doesn’t work, you don’t get your best performances when you’re doing that. I have to accept things as they are,” she told The Saturday Paper.

Coach Bell

But it hasn’t always been easy, with a non-selection for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games team in 2014. Instead of waiting for the next round, she established an initiative to run netball clinics in South Australia, providing a coaching service for youngsters not in elite programs.

“I’m trying to give all the kids who are not in state teams or academies and A grade sides different coaching and a chance to meet the Thunderbirds,” she told The Advertiser.

And as one of only two players to have been involved in three ANZ Championship title-winning teams, her inclusion in the 2016 International Netball Series can only see her star continue to rise – all the way to the top.